Two men who ran cannabis farms across Birmingham and Derbyshire have been jailed for nine years.

Oliver Ngo and Thang Le were caught after a joint investigation by West Midlands Police and the National Crime Agency linked the pair to two factories − one of which contained cannabis with a street value of more than half a million pounds.

They were spotted going in and out of a property in the Cresswell area of Derbyshire last July, which was later raided leading to the discovery of almost a thousand plants.

Officers also found a mobile phone inside which contained details of addresses on Long Lane, Halesowen , where a cannabis factory was discovered by police in March last year.

The phone also included details of the home address of Le. When his house was searched, £13,000 and one kilogram of cannabis was found hidden behind a bath panel.

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Ngo, who was already on licence for a previous offence of possession with intent to supply cannabis, was sentenced to six years in prison

for producing cannabis while Le was handed a three year jail term. Both also received an 18 month concurrent sentence for possession of criminal property.

DC Thomas Frenchum, who led the investigation, said: “Oliver Ngo and Thang Le produced illegal drugs across two major cities and I am pleased that they will have a considerable amount of time in prison to think about their actions.

“Perhaps the most satisfying thing to come out of this case is that we have taken over £500,000 worth of cannabis off the streets of the West Midlands, which is a great success.

“This also sends a message to others who produce and sell illegal drugs that we will find you and bring you to justice.”

Anyone with information on cannabis production or dealing can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.